Two more player-development contracts (PDCs) to announce: the Los Angeles Dodgers have extended their affiliations with the Great Lakes Loons (Low A; Midwest League) and Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League).
Announced yesterday: the Dodgers extended their PDC with the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League).
The contract between the Dodgers and the Loons was extended through 2018.
“Through the first 10 years of Loons baseball the Dodgers have sent 43 future Major League players to the Great Lakes Bay Region and helped to build many lasting memories for our fans,” Loons General Manager Scott Litle said. “We value our long-term relationship and are looking forward to the next two seasons of developing the Dodgers next great players.”
Since 2007, the Loons have been affiliated with the Dodgers when the franchise began playing. Since that inaugural season, the Loons have made the playoffs four times, including in 2015 when the team qualified via the wild card spot during the first half.
The club has won over 600 games since its inception, highlighted by the team in 2010 that won 90 games, the most in all of minor league baseball that season. The Loons have also had over 2.5 million fans come through the gates at Dow Diamond.
“Our relationship with the Great Lakes Loons and the Great Lakes Bay Region has blossomed beautifully in 2016,” Dodgers Director of Player Development Gabe Kapler said. “We feel lucky to be in a partnership with the Michigan Baseball Foundation, Bill Stavropoulos, Paul Barbeau and Scott Litle. We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with the organization for two more years.”
The agreement between the Drillers and the Dodgers was also extended through the 2018.
“The Drillers are pleased to be able to continue our affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” said Drillers Co-Chairman Dale Hubbard. “The Dodgers are one of the most recognizable and most famous brands in the game of baseball, and we value having Tulsa partner with such an iconic team.”
“The Dodgers and Player Development Director Gabe Kapler have shown a commitment to build a strong minor league system, and we look forward to a successful partnership that will bring an exciting and successful team to the baseball fans of Tulsa.”
The Drillers are currently in their second season as a Dodgers affiliate. In the first year of the affiliation, highly touted prospects Corey Seager and Julio Urias played in Tulsa before making their major league debuts.
This season, the Drillers have an overall record of 55-52 and finished just short of winning the Texas League’s first-half North Division title.
“We’re tremendously excited about extending our PDC agreement with the Drillers’ organization,” Kapler said. “We’ve nurtured and developed our relationship over the past two seasons, and we are excited to see it continue to blossom. We’re especially grateful for the leaders we’ve gotten to work with in Tulsa, as they have been an integral part of our development of the young men in the Dodger organization.”
This is the time of year where affiliations are being renewed. To be announced: the San Diego Padres are extended their affiliation deal with the El Paso Chihuahiuas (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League).
Here’s a look at the current affiliate status in Minor League Baseball.